


Torchwood House

by cazmalfoy



Series: Torchwood House [1]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-19
Updated: 2014-05-19
Packaged: 2018-01-25 18:42:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 17,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1658549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cazmalfoy/pseuds/cazmalfoy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Welcome to the Torchwood Institute; a school for those blessed with extraordinary talents.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Prologue

Deep in the heart of the Scottish Highlands, surrounded by two hundred acres of land, sat Torchwood House: a large, grand building that once played house to Queen Victoria herself.

Local legend stated that the Queen had been travelling across the country in 1879 when she first encountered creatures possessing unearthly powers. Powers far beyond anything she had ever witnessed in her long reign. 

After seeing the devastation those powers had caused, she created the Torchwood Institute to protect the Earth and combat the threat posed by these creatures.

The legends were only half true.


	2. Chapter 2

The gravel crunched under the large car’s tyres as it pulled up to the front of Torchwood House. The large building cast a shadow over the driveway, making it seem cooler than it was for late August.

The headmistress of the school, Yvonne Hartman, was waiting on the stairs leading up to the doors. She watched as the car door opened and a young woman stepped out, looking around her and trying to re-familiarise herself with the school once more.

Yvonne knew what she must have been feeling; there was something about the school that made one feel slightly breathless with awe. The main building had been there since 1879. Queen Victoria had met a man called the Doctor - a man with wonderful powers - and created a school to train and nurture the talents a small percentage of the population possessed.

Each student possessed some kind of ability. Many of them were never going to be anything more than ordinary, but occasionally a student appeared with powers that made Yvonne wonder how brilliant they could be.

It wasn’t just the students that had powers. Every member of the faculty was just as gifted also. They had to be, to deal with the students and to help them control their own abilities.

Their newest teacher was no exception to the Torchwood Institute’s policy for hiring staff. Having attended the school herself, Alicia Morgan was the perfect candidate for the position of English teacher. She had a brilliant mind and an even better grasp on her telepathic abilities.

“Alicia,” Yvonne greeted when the car door closed behind her; she insisted on knowing all her students and employees’ first names – it made their relationships more personal. “Welcome,” she added, when Alicia reached the top of the stairs.

Alicia smiled back at her. “Hi, Miss Hartman,” she replied nervously. 

Yvonne waved a hand dismissively. “You’re not a student anymore, Alicia. Please, call me Yvonne.”

“Oh, okay,” she murmured with a nod of her head. “Yvonne.”

Yvonne nodded to the car where the driver was already unloading the boot. “Don’t worry about your bags,” she instructed Alicia, turning and placing a hand on her back as she guided the young woman through the doors and into the building. “They’ll get to your rooms soon.”

The building hadn’t changed at all since Alicia had been at the school herself. There was a large staircase on the far end of the foyer; halfway up it broke in two, leading left and right to other areas of the school building. A large painting of Queen Victoria hung on the wall to the left of the door. The school’s motto, ‘For Queen And Country’ was displayed on the bottom of the frame.

The sound of their footprints echoed in the silent foyer as they made their way up the staircase. The school was completely devoid of students; it was only the end of August, the students wouldn’t be back for at least another week and a half.

Yvonne led Alicia through the familiar corridors before pushing a door open and ushering her through the less familiar teacher’s quarters. They were out of bounds to students and as a result she had never seen beyond the doors.

“These are your rooms,” Yvonne finally spoke, waving a hand in the direction of the large wooden door in front of them. “There’s a private bathroom, small kitchenette in case you don’t feel like joining the rest of us in the main hall, a bedroom and lounge,” she explained quickly, making a little difficult for Alicia to keep up.

“Well,” Yvonne carried on, oblivious to the young woman’s feeling of being overwhelmed, “I’ll let you get settled in. Your things will be up shortly. I’ll see you at dinner?”

Without waiting for a response, Yvonne turned on her heel and breezed her way down the corridor.

Alicia sighed and looked around her. Being back at the school would take some getting used to, she knew. And it would take even longer to get used to being a teacher rather than a student; it had only been three years since she had graduated herself.

After her luggage had been dropped off, she began the arduous task of unpacking. That would take her longer than anything else, she suspected. Pulling the nearest suitcase closer to her, she unzipped it and began pulling out various clothes. Skirts and blouses for during the day when she had to teach classes, and jeans and T-shirts for the evenings when she could relax. 

There was a light knock on the door, which was still open for some reason. She looked up when she saw her favourite teacher and former head of house, Donna Noble, standing just outside the room with a grin on her face.

“Miss Noble!” Alicia cried happily, crossing the room and throwing her arms around Donna.

The redhead laughed and hugged her back. “You’re not a student now, Alicia,” Donna reminded her.

The brunette blushed and released Donna. “Sorry,” she mumbled. “Donna.”

Donna beamed and stepped into the room, leaning on the wall as she watched the newest member of the faculty move around the room. “You’ve grown up so much,” she complimented.

“It has been three years since I was last here,” Alicia pointed out.

The other woman laughed and nodded her head. “Fair point,” she conceded. “Are you looking forward to teaching these miscreants?”

Alicia laughed and rolled her eyes. “They’re not miscreants,” she scolded.

Donna snorted. “Well, not the students in my house,” she corrected herself. “But you might want to keep yourself well shielded from them just the same. I’d imagine their heads are not nice places to be.”

Alicia laughed and nodded her head in thanks.

“Oh,” Donna added, suddenly remembering something important, “and watch out for Jack Harkness.”

“Who?”

“He’s in my house,” Donna explained with a roll of her eyes. “He’s very cute and, unfortunately, he knows it. If you want these kids to like you, get Harkness on your side; the rest will follow.”

Alicia scoffed and rolled her eyes. “You can’t seriously believe that all these kids are going to follow the lead of one boy, do you?”

Donna nodded her head seriously. “I swear. It’s like he’s the Captain and the others are his crewmembers. You’ll see what I mean pretty soon.”

“Anyone else I should keep my eye on?” Alicia asked, unzipping the coat carrier and pulling out a light jacket. 

The redhead didn’t even think about her response. “Ianto Jones. He’s a hothead. One thing is for sure,” Donna added, “don’t let those two be in the same room unsupervised; they’ll rip each other to shreds.”

“What are their powers?” Alicia asked curiously, hanging her jackets in the wardrobe.

Donna nodded to the computer provided by the school that was sitting by the window. “Everyone’s powers are listed on the school’s database. You’ll find it won’t be difficult to figure out what Ianto’s powers are; he uses them as often as he can. Jack, on the other hand…”

Alicia turned and raised an eyebrow, looking at her questioningly. Donna sighed and shook her head, “It’s none of my business but the things that boy has had to deal with… Put it this way, it’s no wonder he won’t use his powers.”


	3. Chapter 3

Although term didn’t officially begin until September 7th, students began arriving as early as August 31st. 

Many of the first students in the school were the children of parents who were highflying executives and whose only interests were their latest deals and business meetings. Most of them didn’t even bother to personally drop their children off at the school - trusting the family driver with their offspring.

When the large Mercedes pulled up to the front of the school, the door opened and Ianto Jones stepped out, looking around him in relief. 

He hadn’t enjoyed his summer – being ignored by his parents during dinner and left alone the rest of the time was not his idea of fun. Going back to school was a respite from the not-so-subtle ignoring his parents were trying to do. 

They had been the same ever since he first had discovered his power. Personally, Ianto thought that they were under the impression that if his parents ignored him enough his powers would disappear as quickly as they had appeared.

“Ianto Jones,” Yvonne greeted from the top of the stairs, scowling down at the student who liked to cause as much havoc as he could.

“Do you greet every student when they come back?” Ianto retorted, not caring that he was talking back to the school’s headmistress; if he got expelled, maybe his parents might actually pay some attention to him – even if it would be to yell at him.

Yvonne rolled her eyes, not bothering to reprimand him. She, like every other teacher, knew Ianto wanted nothing more than to be expelled from the school. But it wasn’t going to happen. If for no other reason than it would be the ultimate form of punishment to keep him there.

“Send his things to Torchwood Three,” Yvonne called, looking over Ianto’s shoulder at the driver who was loading the teenager’s bags on to a trolley.

“What?” Ianto shouted, his voice echoing loud in the empty courtyard. “I’m in Torchwood One!” he stated as though Yvonne wasn’t aware.

Yvonne shook her head, her curls bouncing annoyingly around her face. “Not anymore, you aren’t,” she informed him. “A space has opened up in Torchwood Three for you and…”

“Parents have to agree to transfers,” Ianto argued weakly.

Yvonne moved her hand out from behind her back and showed Ianto a piece of paper; a piece of paper signed by both his mother and father. “They agreed the transfer last week,” she informed him with a smug smile.

Ianto snatched the paper from her and inspected it carefully, as though he was looking for evidence of some kind of forgery. He knew his parents would have just signed the paper without looking at it; it could have been a letter from the school asking for the ritual sacrifice of their only son for all they knew - or cared.

“I’m not going,” he stated firmly, throwing the paper back at Yvonne. “I’ll sleep in a classroom if I have to. I am not moving to that house.”

Yvonne sighed and rolled her eyes, neatly folding the paper once more and sliding it into the pocket of her jacket. “You are not sleeping in a classroom, Mr Jones. Don’t be so overdramatic. Torchwood Three is as good a house as Torchwood One, I really can’t see what all the fuss is about.”

“Then you move to there and I’ll use your rooms.”

“But my decision is final and there is nothing you can say that will change my mind. Your talents will be cultured better in Torchwood Three than Torchwood One.”


	4. Chapter 4

“No, I don’t care if they’re in a meeting with the Prime Minster of the United-fucking-Kingdom, I want to talk to my dad, now!” Ianto shouted down the phone, going red in the face with annoyance.

“I’m sorry, Ianto,” Karl and Joanne Jones’ secretary apologised yet again, “but their phones are turned off and there’s no way for me to get in touch with them. I can get them to call you back in a few-,”

“We both know that isn’t going to happen!” Ianto snapped. 

He flicked the phone closed and threw it on to the dresser with more force than was strictly needed. Ianto watched as it bounced off the polished hardwood and fell down the back; the cover flying off as it hit the floor and the battery falling out with a clatter.

Ianto breathed a heavy sigh and looked around him. Like every other dormitory in the school, the room was only meant to house two students. There were two large four-poster beds, two dressers, two desks and two wardrobes. 

He reached up and pulled the dustsheet off the bed, thinking back to his predicament and what it meant for him.

Changing from Torchwood One to Torchwood Three wasn’t as big a deal as Ianto had made it out to be. He knew that Yvonne was right about him being overdramatic. The thing that was bothering him was Torchwood Three’s students and reputation.

Torchwood House consisted of a large manor house, along with four smaller, but just as impressive, outhouses. Originally called Torchwood One, Two, Three and Four.

It was widely accepted fact that Torchwood One were the best; the best students, the best at sports, the best at everything. 

Torchwood Two were just as good, but more modest about it. 

Torchwood Four were the weird students that no one really knew how to handle. Not to mention, the building kept appearing and disappearing sporadically. Although no one seemed too bothered.

Torchwood Three were the more powerful students and the only students in the school that staff seemed to be afraid of. They played their own games and set their own rules.

Ianto didn’t want to be part of Torchwood Three. He didn’t get along with the members of the house, in particular Jack Harkness.

If asked, Ianto couldn’t pin point what it was about Harkness that annoyed him. Whether it was because Harkness walked around the school and people practically fell at his feet or that he didn’t have to try hard in any class, Ianto didn’t have a clue. There was defiantly something about him that irritated the Welsh teenager.

With a sigh he folded up the dustsheet and threw it on the floor, kicking it under the bed. 

Knowing that the school’s maids would deal with making his bed in a few hours, Ianto began to set about unpacking, pulling his belongings from their suitcases and placing them in their correct places.

When he was finished, he pulled his laptop – the free corporate laptop he got every year, under the pretence that his parents actually cared if he kept in touch – and tossed it on the bed. He rummaged around in his laptop bag for the power cord. When everything was connected, he hit the power button and waited for it to boot up.

Nothing happened.

“What? Come on you piece of shit!” he growled, jabbing the power button once more. 

Still nothing happened.

“I don’t believe this,” he muttered darkly, leaning back on his hands and scowling down at the computer.

“Everything okay?” a quiet voice asked from the doorway.

Ianto looked up in surprise and saw a Japanese girl he recognised as Toshiko Sato. Everyone knew who she was. “Can I help you?” he demanded. The last thing he wanted was the company of a stranger.

Sato remained silent, ignoring Ianto’s question completely. Seconds later, the computer ‘pinged’ as it booted up, making the Welsh teenager jump.

“How did you do that?” Ianto demanded.

Sato rolled her eyes and stepped further into the room. “I can control technology with my mind. This is a school for people with special abilities, after all. A connector came loose, that’s what was wrong.”

Ianto nodded his head in thanks, entering the password and logging on, noticing that the computer was actually running faster than it had previously.

“What about you?” Sato asked. “What’s yours?”

Ianto raised an eyebrow. “Haven’t you heard?”

Sato shrugged. “Rumours and speculation,” she admitted. “Apparently you’re pretty ‘hot-headed’.”

Ianto smirked, heading over to Tosh, making the woman jump in surprise. He leant across, purposely getting into her personal space. He took great delight in how her breath hitched at the close proximity. He grabbed a candle from the shelf behind her and took half a step back.

“Not just hot headed,” he murmured, blowing lightly on the wick of the candle.

Sato’s eyes widened when a flame appeared to flow from Ianto’s lips, licking at the wick as it ignited from the flame. “Wow,” she breathed, her breath making the candle flicker lightly. Her heart was racing from the proximity of Ianto and the heat she could feel emanating from the other teenager.

“That’s usually the reaction I get,” Ianto grinned, licking his fingers and dousing the flame before placing the candle back on its shelf.

“I can see why,” she replied, finally able to breathe easier as he stepped back.

She turned to make her way out of the door, only pausing when she heard him call her name. 

“Do you know who my roommate is?” he asked, nodding to the other side of the room.

This time it was Sato’s turn to smile. “Torchwood Three’s very own resident heartbreaker,” she replied. “Jack Harkness,” she added, before ducking out of the room.

Ianto’s curses, along with the sound of something blazing, followed her down the corridor as she left, making her chuckle to herself.


	5. Chapter 5

Jack Harkness pressed his foot hard against the brakes and the car screeched to a stop in his parking space. He only narrowly avoided slamming into the wall opposite.

He was seventeen and one of the handful of students who had flown through his driving lessons and passed his test the first time; within the space of the three months it had been since his seventeenth birthday.

His mom and dad had congratulated him via email and transferred enough money into his bank account to allow him to buy any car he wanted short of a Porsche.

Jack very rarely went home to the States. Usually his parents paid for him to rent an apartment in the nearest city to the School during the holidays. At first his parents’ reluctance to have their son come home for the holiday’s hurt Jack, especially after…

But he had long since come to accept the fact that his parents couldn’t do the same to him. Accept him. Accept the fact that he had powers he hadn’t been able to control.

The door opened and a Japanese girl came running down the stairs, heading in his direction as he got out of the car. “Jack!”

Jack grinned as he locked the car and made his way around to the boot, pulling his bag out before slamming and locking that too; he would give the keys to a member of staff and they would retrieve the rest of his things.

“Tosh!” the American grinned, holding his arms out, catching Tosh as she flung herself at him. “Missed you,” he said, pressing his lips against the top of her head before releasing her.

“Jack, you’re freezing!” she scolded, hitting him lightly on the arm.

Jack chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. “Must have had the AC on higher than I thought on the drive up here.”

Tosh chuckled and looped her arm through his as they made their way through the school to Torchwood Three’s house. “Did you go home for the summer?” she asked conversationally.

Jack shook his head. “Nope,” he muttered. “Stayed in the town. Same as always.”

The young technopath turned and looked at Jack with sympathetic eyes. “Jack…”

The American shook his head. “Don’t worry about me, Tosh,” he whispered, hugging her tightly. “I’m used to it. I think I prefer it now. Honestly,” he added when he saw that she didn’t look convinced.

“If you say so,” Tosh muttered, scowling at Jack, daring him to lie to her again. When he didn’t say anything else, she sighed heavily and changed the subject. “Well I know something that’ll make you happy,” she laughed.

“You’ve changed your mind and agreed to marry me?” Jack asked hopefully.

Tosh laughed and rolled her eyes. “Keep dreaming, Jack,” she advised. “You finally have a roommate.”

Jack froze mid-step and slowly turned to face Tosh. “What?” he asked slowly. “Who?”

The young woman smirked to herself and stepped away from Jack, heading towards the steps that would take her up to the girls’ bedrooms. “He’s your best friend - Ianto Jones.”

Jack’s cursing followed her all the way to her room.


	6. Chapter 6

Ianto had just finished emailing his parents; well, his parents’ secretary really, to reiterate his phone call. He still wasn’t happy about moving to Torchwood Three – even less now that he knew who his roommate was – and he was determined that someone would get him out of his predicament. 

The door opened and Ianto growled in annoyance. So far almost every member of Torchwood Three seemed to have ‘accidentally’ wandered into the wrong room (and half of the school wasn’t even back yet).

“I swear to god, if you’ve come to look at the new boy again, I’m going to barbeque-” the words died in his mouth when he saw who had just entered the room.

Jack Harkness smirked before rolling his eyes when he spotted the black pile of ashes that had once been the curtains over the window. “You are so lucky you didn’t burn anything on my side, Jones,” he muttered darkly.

“You should be glad I didn’t, Harkness,” Ianto retorted with a roll of his eyes. 

Ianto watched as Jack crossed the room, pulled the dustsheet down from his own bed before throwing it on the floor.

“Are you always this untidy?” Ianto asked, scowling at nothing in particular as he shut down his computer.

Jack snorted with laughter and fell back onto the mattress, cushioning his head with his hands and closing his eyes. “Pretty much,” he admitted. “If it bothers you that much, feel free to tidy up for me.”

Ianto growled and grabbed his jacket, the room suddenly feeling that much smaller with Jack’s larger than life presence in it. “I’m not your maid, Harkness,” he snapped.

“It’s a pity,” Jack murmured, never opening his eyes. “”You’d look better in one of those French Maid outfits.”

Ianto, fighting down the urge to set the room on fire regardless of the consequences, stomped across the room. “Don’t touch my stuff,” he commanded, almost wrenching the door off its hinges.

Before the door slammed closed behind him, he heard Jack’s bored voice drawl. “Now, why would I want to do that?”


	7. Chapter 7

Ianto ran. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him. He passed random students who were arriving for the school year. They watched him go in confusion, wondering where he was going.

He journeyed beyond the castle grounds, further than any student was allowed to go. Any student caught out of bounds was always subjected to harsh punishments, but Ianto didn’t care. He wasn’t planning on getting caught.

The trees around him blurred as he ran through the thick undergrowth. He never once stumbled on the branches and natural debris at his feet. 

After a solid fifteen minutes of running, Ianto found himself at a clearing in the centre of the woods. It was so far into the trees that it wasn’t even on the school grounds. He had been frequenting the clearing for a year, ever since he had learnt about his powers and had needed somewhere to go to feel normal again.

All around the clearing were signs of his past temper tantrums. Trees were charred all around the edge of the area and the grass underneath his feet had a yellow-brown tinge.

Ianto had intended to go the clearing, vent his anger at his roommate by burning a couple of trees, before heading back and trying to ignore Harkness for the rest of the school year.

The plan was destroyed pretty much as soon as he entered the clearing and saw a figure lying on the ground in the centre of the circle.

The young girl, hearing Ianto running toward the clearing, sat up and watched as the Welshman came to a stop, breathing heavily and sweating a little.

Ianto scowled as he recognised her from the few classes he’d had the year before with Torchwood Three’s students; unlike Sato, though, he didn’t know her name. “Are you all trying to piss me off?” he demanded, glaring at her. “You can’t make me leave by trying to annoy the Hell out of me, you know?”

The girl frowned. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she replied, her Welsh accent startling Ianto; there were a mixture of students at the Torchwood Institute, but Ianto had never met another Welsh student before.

“First Sato, then Harkness and now you’re here,” Ianto snapped, crossing the clearing, never taking his eyes off her.

She rolled her eyes. “Tosh is a good friend, I really don’t care what Jack’s done, and I don’t see your name anywhere in this clearing.”

Ianto lifted his index finger and used flames to draw the letters of his name out in the air, each glowing bright against the darkness of the trees. “There, that’s my name in my clearing, now get lost.”

She flicked her hand and a branch broke off a nearby tree. Ianto ducked as it flew through the air towards him. He watched helplessly as it erased his writing, catching on fire. The branch glided towards her and she used it to write her own name in the same way. 

‘Gwen Cooper’

Gwen smirked and blew on the branch, putting the fire out before throwing it back into the forest. “You can bitch all you want about me being here, but at the end of the day it isn’t going to work,” she informed him, lying back on the ground and pillowing her head with her hands.

Ianto scowled deeply. “Is it a Torchwood Three requirement that you have to be irritating, or is it just coincidence? Because I think I’ll have to move again.”

Gwen laughed, her gaze never moving from the sky above her. “It’s a requirement,” she nodded. “You’ll fit in perfectly. But if you still want to move, feel free. I’m sure Jack would love to have his room back.”

“In that case, I might just stay where I am, just to piss him off,” Ianto retorted, a laugh in his voice as he sat on the grass next to Gwen. Something about her laugh and smile was endearing and made him want to grin as well.

Gwen’s green eyes flickered over to him before turning back to the sky above them. “You can lie down, you know?” she said conversationally. “The grass is perfectly dry and rather comfortable. Plus, there’s a cloud there that looks like two porn stars.”

Ianto’s head slid back as he looked up at the cloudless sky above them. “Liar,” he muttered, shifting so he was lying back on the grass; only briefly stopping to wonder what the Hell he was doing. 

She laughed and rolled her eyes. “It made you look, didn’t it?” she retorted. “So you can control fire,” she stated; the conversation tone still in her voice almost fooled Ianto. Almost. “I’m assuming all this damage is yours. You must be pretty powerful.”

Ianto shrugged and moved his hands so they were behind his head like hers. “Powerful enough to get by,” he replied evasively.

“More than that, I’d say,” Gwen argued with a shake of her head. “I only know one other person who could do something like this,” she moved her arm and indicated to the area around them. “And he doesn’t…” She trailed off, almost as if she realised she was talking about something she shouldn’t.

“What?” Ianto pressed.

“Nothing,” Gwen muttered stubbornly. “It’s not my story to tell.”

Ianto fell silent pondering over her words before he spoke, “You were talking about Harkness, weren’t you? I mean, it makes sense; he’s the only student I haven’t seen use his powers.”

“Do you even know what they are?” Gwen asked, her voice nothing more than a whisper. 

“No,” he admitted, turning his head to the side and looking at her expectantly.

Gwen sighed and got to her feet, brushing grass from her top and jeans. “Like I said, it’s not my story to tell. If you want to know what Jack’s powers are, why don’t you ask him yourself?”

Ianto snorted with laughter. “I don’t really think he’d be so willing to tell me, somehow.”

The Welshwoman studied Ianto with a look that almost made him squirm before shrugging her shoulders. “Maybe you’re right,” she murmured. “Thanks for the company, Ianto Jones,” she added, tapping two fingers to her temple in a mock salute before leaving him alone in the clearing.


	8. Chapter 8

Breakfast the next morning should have been a quiet event. Ianto liked to eat – like he did everything - by himself. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to socialise with the other members of Torchwood Three (well, okay, maybe a little), but he had never seemed to fit in with the others in Torchwood One and as a result felt strange mingling with his classmates.

The chair opposite him scraped on the floor as it was pulled out from underneath the table. “Morning!” a happy voice greeted him and he looked up to find Gwen Cooper grinning at him.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Ianto asked, narrowing his eyes warily as she began to spread jam on her toast.

“Eating breakfast,” Gwen replied, flashing him a gap toothed smile before looking around the table in confusion. Her eyes lit up when she spotted the orange juice a little way down the table, in front of Harkness.

Seconds later, the juice slid along the table – just as Harkness was reaching for it – before coming to a stop in front of Gwen.

“Gwen!” Harkness cried, glaring down the table at his friend.

The Welsh teenager grinned back at him, pouring herself a drink and returning the juice to Jack. “Thank you,” she smiled sweetly, before turning back to Ianto. “Do you like Torchwood Three yet?” she asked, digging into her breakfast.

“It’s getting worse by the second,” Ianto retorted, glaring across the table at her, trying to will her to leave him alone. “Why won’t you leave me alone?” he hissed, leaning closer to her.

Gwen smiled back at him, seemingly oblivious to his annoyance. “Because you’re new and I want to help you fit in.”

“I’m not new. I’ve been going to this school just as long as you have and I don’t want to fit in,” Ianto snapped.

The young girl snorted with laughter. “Everyone wants to fit in,” she replied with a wave of her hand. 

Ianto shook his head. “Not me,” he reiterated. “Look, I don’t know what you’ve got in your head, but I’m not Mr Nice Guy. I’m a prick, an arsehole; just ask anyone in the school.”

Gwen looked mildly disinterested by Ianto’s annoyance as she continued eating her breakfast. When there were only two bites left of her toast, she placed the bread back on her plate.

“Look,” Gwen said, pushing the plate away and getting to her feet, “I don’t know why you’re so hell bent on having no friends, but being alone is not a pleasant thing to experience. I’m not leaving you alone, whether you like it or not. I’m your friend now, Ianto Jones. You’d better get used to it.”


	9. Chapter 9

The sun was setting on their last day of freedom; one more day and it would be back to school, learning and studying for their exams. All the students had returned and were settling into their rooms and the routine of being away from home once more.

Ianto stood at the window of their room. His mobile phone was still lying down the back of the dresser and he had no desire to retrieve it. Especially not since he had received an email from his parents, telling him that they weren’t going to order Yvonne to relocate him back to Torchwood One. They thought that maybe him being somewhere he didn’t want to be might do him some good.

The Welsh teenager’s eyes travelled to the school grounds and he scowled when he spotted Jack heading into the building with someone he couldn’t recognise from above.

He hated that he was forced to room with the American. They didn’t get along; they never had and Ianto knew they never would. He couldn’t put his finger on what it was that he didn’t like about Jack; there was just something that got on his nerves.

At the door to the school, Jack paused and looked up – almost as if he could feel someone’s eyes on him. The person that was with him looked up as well and Ianto finally recognised him as Owen Harper, Jack’s best friend.

Jack muttered something to Owen who laughed loudly and shook his head, before following his American friend into the building.

Ianto rolled his eyes and pushed himself away from the window, looking at his watch as he stood upright. He was supposed to meet his own best friend in a few minutes.

A young black teenager sat in one of Torchwood’s many courtyards, waiting for him when Ianto finally arrived. “About time!” she exclaimed, jumping to her feet and hugging him tightly when he finally reached her. “I’ve been waiting for ages!”

Ianto laughed and hugged her tightly. “I’m only a few minutes late, Lisa,” he retorted, pressing his lips to the top of her head.

Unlike Ianto, Lisa Hallett still resided in Torchwood One. She had the ability to mould metal with her mind and they had known each other since their first day; they’d been close ever since. Ianto had even tried dating her the year before, but both had admitted it didn’t work and had gone their separate ways - although they were still the best of friends.

“I’ve missed you, Ianto,” Lisa scolded, swatting him on the arm.

Ianto chuckled and offered her his arm, which she quickly looped her own through as they walked through the grounds. “I’ve only been part of Torchwood Three since the beginning of term. That’s not long enough to miss me. Especially since school hasn’t officially started yet.”

Lisa scoffed and followed him down the path to the lake edge where they would sit and catch up on what had happened over the summer. “No one can figure out why you’ve even transferred in the first place.”

Ianto scowled as they sat down on the ground. “I don’t even know,” he admitted. “Hartman wouldn’t tell me. Probably the only punishment they could think of, short of actually getting rid of me. Which, unfortunately, isn’t likely to happen any time soon.”

“You’re still trying to get yourself expelled, then?” Lisa asked, leaning against his side and closing her eyes. The air was cool and the heat she could feel radiating from Ianto made her feel instantly warmer.

Ianto chuckled and pressed her cheek against the top of her head. “Always,” he replied softly. “You know me.”

They lapsed into silence for a while until Lisa asked, “Who’s your new roommate?” 

The Welsh teenager growled in annoyance, making Lisa look up in surprise. “Jack Harkness,” he finally stated.

Lisa’s eyes widened before she burst out laughing. “Stop that!” Ianto instructed, swatting her on the arm. “It’s not funny!”

“Yes it is,” she replied, wiping her eyes as the laughter subsided. “The one person in this school that you’ve never gotten along with…” she trailed off with a shake of her head. “Someone has it in for you.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.”


	10. Chapter 10

The day classes started, Ianto woke to find that the mess Jack called his half of the room had bred overnight and was dangerously close to taking over Ianto’s side as well.

“I swear, Harkness,” Ianto growled, more to himself than Jack since the American was still asleep. He bent down and snatched a towel up off the floor. “It wouldn’t kill you to tidy up after yourself,” he added, throwing the towel at Jack before turning back to his own bed.

He didn’t even notice anything was wrong until he heard Jack out a startled yelp and turned around to find Jack’s quilt on fire.

“What the Hell, Jones?” Jack demanded angrily, trying to pat the fire out with his bare hand.

“Don’t do that, you idiot,” Ianto rolled his eyes, quickly moving over to the window and grabbing a vase from the ledge and turning back to douse the flames.

To his surprise, the flames had already been put out. “How did you do that?” Ianto demanded, placing the vase on Jack’s bedside table.

Jack frowned, feigning confusion. “Do what?” he asked innocently.

Ianto rolled his eyes. “You were on fire, Harkness,” he pointed out in case the other teenager wasn’t aware. He watched as Jack climbed out of bed; to his surprise there wasn’t a single burn marring his chest – like Ianto, Jack liked to sleep in a pair of flannel pyjama bottoms and nothing else.

“No,” Jack replied slowly; speaking as though Ianto were four-years old, not seventeen. “The quilt was on fire, not me. It was nothing, just a few flames. Now if you’ve finished proving how mad you are, I’m going to get washed.”

The Welsh teenager watched Jack go before turning his eyes back to the American’s bed. The quilt had been completely destroyed and now resembled nothing more than a pile of ashes. 

Jack had put the flames out with his hand, Ianto just knew it. He had seen too many people injured by fire to not know when a fire was potentially fatal. He knew there was no way Jack could have come away from the fire uninjured. 

He had to have used his powers somehow – whatever they may be.


	11. Chapter 11

Class timetables were handed out over breakfast the day classes started and Ianto had been relived to find that he only had to suffer two of his classes with Jack. 

Unfortunately, all the others were with either Tosh or Gwen. Tosh didn’t bother him too much; they actually worked well together. It was Gwen that was the problem. 

The other Welsh teenager seemed to have taken it up on herself to be Ianto’s personal irritant.

They all piled into the classroom, their feet automatically taking them towards the seats they had occupied the previous year.

Of course, with Ianto’s life nothing was ever simple. As was demonstrated when he arrived at the desk that was, by rights, his, only to find Jack about to slide into the same chair.

“What do you think you’re doing, Harkness?” Ianto demanded, placing his bag on the desk and glaring at Jack.

“I could ask you the same thing, Jones,” Jack snapped back. “This is my desk.”

Ianto rolled his eyes, “As usual, you’re wrong. This is my desk,” he stated.

The door to the room opened and an unfamiliar female voice interrupted them. “There are two desks back there, gentleman. I’m sure Mr Jones can take the seat next to Mr Harkness quite easily.”

Ianto, still scowling at Jack with an annoyance rarely seen, inclined his head slightly and moved away, sliding into the seat next to Jack; never taking his eyes off the other teenager.

“Good,” the woman said, finally diverting his attention away from the American.

When he did look at the front of the classroom he, like every other male in the room (and some of the girls), felt his breath leave him in a rush. There was no way the angel before them could possibly be their teacher; she barely looked old enough to have left school. Not to mention, she was far too beautiful to be a teacher.

“I am Miss Morgan,” she introduced herself, turning and writing her name in the top left hand corner of the black board, before placing the chalk back down and wiping the dust from her fingers. “As you can tell, I’m your new English teacher.”

She picked a pile of textbooks up from her desk and gave them to each member of the front row, instructing them to pass the other’s back.

“I have one ground rule,” she said when everyone had their books. “No powers are to be used in this classroom,” she stated simply. “I don’t care if it’s telekinesis to turn the page or speeding up time so you can get out of here sooner. I’m a telepath; I’ll be able to tell if you’re using your powers and who you are.”

She turned back to her desk and grabbed her own book. “Oh, and, yes Mr Harkness,” she added, “they are real.”


	12. Chapter 12

The rest of the school day passed fairly uneventfully just the same as every first day. 

Ianto was sitting on the window seat in his room, staring out over the school grounds when the door opened behind him.

Turning his head, he scowled when he saw Jack enter the room and throw his bag on the floor next to his bed, before collapsing onto the mattress.

Neither of them spoke but that was nothing new; they only time they spoke to each other was to bicker and slag each other off.

Heaving a sigh, Ianto reached over for the cigarette packet that was lying on the seat next to him.

Before he’d even brought the cigarette to his lips, he heard Jack’s voice say softly from across the room, “You shouldn’t smoke. It’s bad for you.”

Ianto rolled his eyes and placed the cigarette between his lips. “Thanks for the advice, mum,” he murmured, bringing his index finger up and lighting the cigarette using his powers.

“How did you even get them into the school?” Jack asked, trying to sound conversational.

Ianto glared at him as he took a long drag from the cigarette. He closed his eyes, focusing on the nicotine taste before exhaling a cloud of smoke out the window. “I don’t see why I should explain myself to you,” he retorted.

“Suit yourself,” Jack shrugged his shoulders, throwing himself onto his bed.

~

Across the large lake, almost directly opposite Torchwood there was another school. Although, unlike Torchwood, it was for boys only and none of the students had powers; they were ordinary students who had no idea how extraordinary the teenagers at Torchwood were.

It was against Torchwood’s rules to cross the lake – either by boat or swimming - and the same applied for the other school. Anyone caught breaking those rules was always punished harshly; no exceptions.

A little over a week into the school year Ianto found Gwen standing by the edge of the lake, her arms wrapped tightly around her as she stared out across the water. “See anything you like?” he asked, stepping coming to a stop next to the young woman.

“What?” Gwen asked, blinking out of her daze and turning her head to look at Ianto.

The Welshman nodded over to the other side of the lake. “Any of those you’d sleep with?” he pressed.

Gwen blushed and glared at him. “Do you have to be so crude?” she demanded, leaning back against a tree and sliding down to the ground.

Ianto shrugged his shoulders and sat next to her. “You were the one that said you wanted to be my friend. If you can’t deal with me, you’re more than welcome to leave,” he offered.

She glared at him and he grinned back. “Exactly my point,” he replied. “This is me, get used to it.”

Gwen laughed and rested her head on his shoulder. It was a chilly day so the heat she could feel from his body was a welcome relief.

“What are you doing out here?” Ianto asked, wrapping his arm around her. 

He was reluctant to admit it to himself but having Gwen as a friend made Ianto happier than he could remember being in the past.

“Exactly what you said I was doing,” Gwen answered, jerking her thumb in the direction of the school on the other side of the lake. 

Ianto chuckled. “Ah, so there is one of them you’d sleep with,” he grinned, making Gwen swat him on the arm. “Which one?” he asked curiously.

“Fourth from the left,” Gwen replied, not wanting to point directly in case it was made obvious who they were talking about. “He’s…” she sighed and shook her head. “Never mind, it’s not important.”

Ianto made a noise of disagreement in the back of his throat. “If it’s got you out here being all melancholy, then it’s important,” he argued. “Why don’t you go over there and introduce yourself – he clearly thinks the same way about you. I can feel his daggers from here.”

Gwen’s head snapped up and stared across the lake in disbelief. Sure enough, the teenager she had been eyeing up for weeks hurriedly turned his head so he wasn’t looking.

“Why would he be glaring?” Gwen asked, her forehead crumpling in confusion. “Who’s he glaring at?”

“Me,” he replied with a snort of laughter. “Think about it,” he instructed. “You’re sat here with a guy, leaning your head on his shoulder while he’s got his arm wrapped around you. What would that look like to you?”

“But, we’re…” 

“He doesn’t know that,” Ianto pointed out softly.

Silence fell over them before Gwen spoke, “I can’t go over there,” she whispered. “It’s against the rules.”

“Screw the rules! Just steal Harkness’ car and drive around,” Ianto suggested.

Gwen rolled her eyes. “I can’t drive,” she reminded her friend.

Ianto scoffed and hit her lightly on the arm. “So, get him to drive you around. I’m sure he’d love the chance to parade around in front of lover boy’s,” he nodded across the lake, “friends. Especially the hot blond.”

He quickly fell silent when he realised he had just admitted that the stranger had hot friends. With no idea how to backtrack he stammered, “I mean… Er…”

Gwen laughed and rested her head on his shoulder once more. “Don’t worry about it,” she murmured, closing her eyes against the sun that was suddenly brighter now the clouds had dissipated. “I won’t tell anyone,” she added sleepily.


	13. Chapter 13

Two weeks into the term Jack was sitting on his bed, using his computer, while Ianto had his nose buried in a book they had to read for English.

The door opened and a group of people fell through the door, laughing and elbowing each other out of the way.

“Do you mind?” Ianto demanded, lifting his eyes from the book. “Most people knock before going into someone else’s room.”

Gwen rolled her eyes and pushed Ianto over so she could sit next to him on the bed. “Move up,” she instructed when he wouldn’t move. “We have pizza,” she added, as though she were trying to bribe him.

“Where did you get pizza from?” Jack asked, turning around on his chair. “I don’t think Dominos deliver this far away from the city centre.”

Martha Jones waved her hand, grinning from ear to ear. “I called Leo. He went to get it and brought it here for us.” Leo was Martha’s elder brother and lived little more than a twenty-minute drive away from the school.

Owen reached into a carrier bag and pulled out a bottle of Budweiser. “Are you going to stop complaining now?” he asked, holding the bottle just out of Jack’s reach.

Jack looked from the bottle to his friends – Tosh, Gwen, Owen, Martha and Suzie – before sighing and reaching for the beer. 

Two hours later, they were all slightly intoxicated. Suzie had started playing around with her powers, dimming the lights randomly – making the other cry out in surprise every time the room went dark.

Gwen, taking her cue from the other woman, began moving Jack and Ianto’s things around the room - especially when someone was reaching for something.

Ianto, not wanting to be shown up, created a dragon made of flames and made it chase Tosh around the room – purposely not catching her – before extinguishing the flames.

Jack chuckled as he watched the others’ actions and leant back in his seat. 

Ianto heard the chuckle and turned to Jack. “Your turn,” he instructed. “Show us what you can do.”

Jack scoffed and shook his head. “No thanks, I’m good,” he replied. 

“Oh come on,” Ianto rolled his eyes. “Are your powers that lame?”

Jack pushed the pizza box from his lap and got to his feet silently. They all watched as the American crossed the room and pulled the door open.

Martha’s calls of his name went unanswered as he left the room, letting the door fall closed behind him.

Ianto jumped to his feet, feeling blood rush to his head by the rapid movement. 

“Ianto, don’t…” Gwen warned, immediately knowing what the other Welsh teenager was planning on doing.

“No,” Ianto shook his head, following Jack out of the room. “He’s going to tell me what his powers are. I’m sick of him constantly dodging the issue,” he added just before the door fell closed behind.


	14. Chapter 14

Ianto caught up with his roommate just outside the school. “Harkness!” he called, jogging to catch up with the other teenager.

“Fuck off!” Jack snapped, not slowing his pace. He didn’t know where he was going, but he didn’t care. He just needed to get away from the others.

“I don’t see what the problem is,” Ianto said, placing a hand on Jack’s arm, finally making him stop. “Having them isn’t that big a deal,” he added. “Me knowing what you can do isn’t going to make the world end, you know?”

Jack turned around, finally facing Ianto and glaring at him. “Having these powers is a big deal,” he growled. “They’re strong and dangerous.”

“I don’t know what your powers are, but I know you’re definitely powerful. When I burnt that quilt you should have gotten burnt, but nothing happened.”

Jack rolled his eyes, glaring at Ianto fiercely; he could tell the other teenager wasn’t going to back down without knowing what Jack could do.

With a sigh, he lifted his hand and almost immediately ice crystals began to form in mid-air, morphing and twisting into various shapes. 

Ianto jumped back in surprise at Jack’s sudden action and watched in amazement as the ice began to form an almost perfect replica of the school building; right down to tiny ice curtains hanging in the windows.

“There,” Jack snapped, lowering his arm when he was done. “You got your wish. You know what I can do. Now fuck off and leave me alone.”


	15. Chapter 15

Finding Jack wasn’t the hardest thing Ianto had ever had to do. The American had left a trail of ice crystals in his wake. Ianto knew that his own powers were tied to his emotions and he presumed Jack’s were the same. Jack was pissed off with him; it made sense that he wouldn’t be able to control his powers.

Jack had made his way through the woods, to the clearing Ianto (and Gwen) liked to spend time in.

The scene that met Ianto when he arrived took his breath away. The clearing no longer looked like it had been subjected to several of Ianto’s temper tantrums. Instead he was standing on the cusp of a winter wonderland.

Feeling partly like Aladdin entering the cave of wonders, but mostly like he was trespassing on private property, Ianto carefully stepped out onto the ice, expecting it to be slippery. 

To his surprise, the ice directly below his feet melted as he took a step; the heat of his own body enough to melt the ice.

Carefully he entered the high domed centre of the cavern Jack had created and felt a twinge of guilt when he spotted Jack sat in a corner, his legs pulled as tight to his chest as possible.

“Harkness,” Ianto whispered, taking a step closer slowly, not wanting to freak Jack out. One wrong thought from Jack would bring the whole sculpture crumbling to the ground, crushing them both in the process.

“Jack,” he added when the American didn’t look up.

Ianto crossed to Jack, not even noticing that the ice still melted under his feet, and sat on the ground next to him. 

“I didn’t…” Jack was saying to himself, his voice muffled by the fabric of his jeans as he leant his head against his knees. “It was an accident… So cold… I tried to help…”

Ianto shook his head, frowning in confusion as he tried to make sense of the words Jack was speaking. “You aren’t making any sense, Jack,” he advised, placing a hand on Jack’s shoulder; even though the material of his T-shirt, Ianto could feel the coolness of Jack’s skin.

Jack lifted his head and looked at Ianto in confusion. The Welshman was surprised to see tears on his cheeks. “You called me ‘Jack’,” he murmured in surprise.

Ianto rolled his eyes, a smile playing at his lips. “I called you it a couple of minutes ago, if you’d been paying attention.”

Jack rested his head on his knees and Ianto sighed heavily. “What are you doing out here?” he asked, looking around at his white surroundings.

The other teenager remained silent and Ianto groaned, sitting back; he made sure not to lean on the wall of the cave – he didn’t want to melt it.

“My brother,” Jack spoke after ten minutes of silence, his voice pain-filled, “Gray.” Jack took a shuddering breath in and closed his eyes. “We were camping about three years ago…”

Ianto remained silent, watching Jack closely as he spoke; he didn’t want to say anything and risk Jack running away from him again.

“He started complaining about being cold,” Jack continued softly, his eyes focused on some distant memory. “It was before I knew I had powers but I couldn’t feel anything so I told him to get a coat or something.”

Jack paused and ran a hand over his face. “He was still cold, so I… I started to hug him. Tried to share my body heat with him.”

He let out a hollow laugh. “I was so stupid. So fucking stupid. I’ve always been cold blooded; I should have realised I didn’t have any body heat to share.”

“What happened?” Ianto asked softly. Nervously he placed his arm around Jack’s shoulders in an attempt to comfort him.

To his surprise, Jack didn’t get angry or push him away; instead he found himself leaning into the embrace for a moment. “The temperature dropped even more; but I was still feeling fine. I kept hugging Gray for a bit longer. Much longer than I should have.”

“His body temperature lowered too much because of me. He died of hypothermia because I thought I was being a good brother and helping him. He’s dead because I’m a thick bastard. Now do you see why I never use my powers?” Jack snapped, lifting his head and looking at Ianto angrily. 

“I can’t even turn this off now,” he added, nodding to the cavern around him. Before his eyes, Ianto’s footprints froze over once more until there was no more evidence of his entrance. “All because you wanted to know so much that you wouldn’t stop pushing my buttons.”

“Jack,” Ianto began, “I’m sorry. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have…”

Jack snorted with laughter. “Yes you would,” he argued. “You’ve been trying to figure me out since you moved to Torchwood Three.”

“I’ll admit you intrigue me, Jack,” Ianto conceded. “But I’d never have made you show your powers if I had known any of this. I may be a bastard, but I’m not that heartless.”


	16. Chapter 16

The ice above their heads cracked and a piece about the size of a football fell to the ground, smashing into pieces. Above them, the remaining hole immediately froze over.

“Jack,” Ianto spoke softly, seeing another crack forming in the ice roof. “I know you’re upset, but you need to calm down; you need to get a hold of yourself. You’re going to kill us if you don’t.”

Their eyes met and Ianto could see the struggle Jack was encountering, shining bright in his eyes. “I can’t,” he whispered.

Ianto moved so he was kneeling in front of Jack, not even noticing that the ice around him melted. “Jack, look at me,” he instructed, placing a hand on Jack’s shoulder. The other teenager didn’t even blink. “Jack,” he repeated. 

Still not getting a response from Jack, Ianto did the only thing he could think of. Knowing that they were moments away from being crushed by a ton of ice, Ianto took a deep breath and quickly pressed his lips against Jack’s.

The American’s eyes went wide in surprise and, just when Ianto thought he was going to get himself killed anyway, he felt Jack’s cold lips relax under his touch and before he knew it, Jack was kissing him back.

Ianto’s eyes flickered to the ice above them, never breaking the contact of his lips with Jack’s. The ice was slowly becoming thinner, but there was still far too much of it for Ianto’s liking.

The Welsh teenager ran his tongue across Jack’s lips before sliding it inside and tasting the inside of the other’s mouth. 

One of them, or possibly both, groaned lightly and Ianto felt Jack’s fingers clutch the back of his jacket as he kissed him back.

Slowly, as each teenager got more into the kiss, Jack began to focus more on Ianto rather than his powers and it didn’t take long for the snow around them to have melted completely.

They fell back against the ground, no longer covered with ice, and Jack found himself with Ianto on top of him. The other teenager’s weight didn’t crush him like he would have thought, had he been paying attention, but instead Ianto felt comfortable slotted against him.

It was only when Ianto’s leg slid between Jack’s and the American felt a hardness pressing against his hip, matching his own, that Jack realised exactly what he was doing.

“What?” he gasped, placed his hands in the centre of Ianto’s chest and pushing him back. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he demanded, jumping to his feet and gasping for breath.

Ianto leant up on his elbows and looked at Jack with a raised eyebrow. “It’s called kissing, Jack,” he murmured, getting to his feet and brushing off his jeans. “Don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy it,” he smirked, his blue eyes flickering down to Jack’s crotch and his half-hard cock.

Jack snarled and pulled back his fist, punching Ianto in the jaw.

The Welsh teenager growled in annoyance and shot a fiery look at Jack, not for the first time wishing he could use his powers to set the other teenager on fire. “I was distracting you,” he snapped, tentatively touching his jaw and hissing with pain. 

“The ice was breaking up and you weren’t doing anything about it. You were about to kill us both; I distracted you to save my own skin. Don’t flatter yourself by thinking that it meant anything more than that,” he stated, stalking away from Jack and the clearing; the other teenager could find his way back alone.


	17. Chapter 17

After walking around aimlessly for a few hours, Ianto returned to his room to find Jack sitting on the window ledge and staring out at the school grounds. The others had clearly gotten the hint that their party was over and gone back to their own rooms, although there were still pizza boxes scattered across the floor.

The American didn’t look up when Ianto entered the room and the Welshman sighed heavily.

“Harkness,” he began, before rolling his eyes and correcting himself, “Jack…”

“Why?” Jack spoke, not looking up from where he was staring out at the grass below their window. 

Ianto frowned in confusion. “Why what?” he asked softly.

Jack eventually tore his gaze away from the window and glanced at Ianto. “Why can’t I control my powers unless I think about you?” he whispered.

“You… I help you control your powers?” Ianto asked in surprise.

The American rolled his eyes and got to his feet. “Don’t flatter yourself,” he muttered, taking a few steps into the centre of the room.

Ianto watched as Jack created another – smaller than before – replica of the school as he had done earlier, in mid air. 

“I can turn them on easily enough,” Jack admitted, nodding to the ice sculpture. “But I can’t turn them off.”

“You know,” Ianto commented, looking at the ice sculpture, “to say you don’t use your powers very often, you definitely know how to get them to do what you want.” He paused, thinking back to a few hours before and added, “When you’re in control of your emotions, that is.”

Jack rolled his eyes and both teenagers watched as ice began to move from the sculpture to the rest of the room.

The American turned and looked at Ianto. “But I think about you,” Jack continued, meeting Ianto’s eyes with his own, “and I feel like I’m controlling them instead of the other way around.”

To Ianto’s amazement, the ice decreased slightly, but didn’t disappear completely. “You missed a bit,” he pointed out softly.

Jack chuckled and stepped closer to Ianto, ice crystals following him. “I can’t turn it off by just thinking about you,” he murmured, meeting Ianto’s gaze with a bashful look that caught Ianto by surprise; Jack was never nervous.

“Back in the clearing,” Ianto said, realising what Jack was implying.

Jack nodded his head slowly. “I could only get rid of that ice after you’d kissed me.”

To prove his point, Jack leant forward and pressed his cold lips against Ianto’s warm mouth in a soft kiss.

Before Ianto could respond Jack’s sudden actions, the American pulled back and looked back at the ice sculpture, which was now almost completely melted. “See?” he asked.

Ianto remained silent, grabbing a fist full of Jack’s t-shirt and pulling him close again. “You haven’t gotten rid of all the ice yet,” he murmured, seconds before crushing their lips together with more heat and passion than they had experienced in the clearing.

Jack groaned against Ianto’s lips, his eyes fluttering closed as he allowed himself to think of nothing more than Ianto and the feel of his body against his own.

He ran his hands up Ianto’s arms, pressing his palms against the other’s shoulder blades as he tried to get as close as possible.

As they kissed, Ianto slid his own hand down Jack’s chest to cup the impressive bulge of his cock. Jack gasped and bucked his hips forward, trying to press further into Ianto’s hand.

His own hand slid down Ianto’s back, cupping his arse and dragging him so close he could feel Ianto’s hard cock pressing against his hip.

They fell back onto Ianto’s bed, the Welsh teenager on top. Never breaking the kiss, he leant up on his elbows and ran his hand up under Jack’s T-shirt. The American’s skin was cold under his touch, but it was a wonderful change from the overheated feeling of his own skin.

When he tweaked one of Jack’s nipples experimentally, the other teenager moaned and arched his back, pressing more of himself into the touch.

At last, when the need to breathe became too strong, Jack pulled his head back and gasped for breath. “Wait, Ianto,” he whispered, running his fingers through the other’s already dishevelled hair. 

Hearing Jack call his name, Ianto pulled away a few inches as he too tried to regain his breath. “What’s wrong?” he whispered, ducking his head and nuzzling Jack’s cheek, nipping at his skin occasionally with his teeth.

“I…” Jack gasped when Ianto bit a particularly sensitive area of his skin. “Oh god,” he murmured, trying to form a coherent sentence.

Ianto, sensing that Jack was actually trying to say something, stopped trying to mark the American’s neck and pulled back, leaning up on his elbow and looking down at him. “What?” he asked again.

Jack took a deep breath and Ianto was amazed to see that the other teenager was flushing bright red; a flush that had nothing to do with arousal. “It’s just… I…” He knew he was babbling but couldn’t seem to stop himself.

Slowly Ianto began to realise what Jack was actually saying and let out a bark of laughter. Seeing Jack glare at him, he shook his head. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “It’s just funny that you’re a virgin. You talk like you’ve had everyone in the house…”

Jack rolled his eyes and wrapped his arms around Ianto’s waist, pulling them closer together. “How many people have you been with then, stud?” he purred, licking a line up Ianto’s neck.

When Ianto didn’t reply, it was Jack’s turn to snigger. “You laugh at me, yet you’re still a virgin yourself?” he asked incredulously.

Ianto glared and bit Jack’s earlobe slightly harder than necessary. “Not many people are prone to wanting a red hot poker inside them,” he pointed out, rolling his hips against Jack’s.

Jack moaned at the contact and pressed back, seeking more friction. “Ditto.” He slid his hand under Ianto’s T-shirt, making the other teenager gasp at the temperature of his hand. “Only substitute red-hot for sub-zero.”

Ianto smiled and pulled Jack’s T-shirt up over his head. “You don’t feel that cold to me,” he murmured, ducking his head and pressing feather soft kisses against his skin. When Jack snorted with laughter, he rolled his eyes and added, “Well, you do, but it’s nice. Like a soothing balm on a burn.”

Jack grinned and ran his hand through Ianto’s hair, pulling his head up and crashing their lips together. “You feel like…” he trailed off, trying to think of words that would explain what he felt perfectly. He sighed and rolled his own eyes when he realised he couldn’t think of something that didn’t sound too cheesy. “It’s like a hot shower after a freezing cold day when you touch me.”

The other teenager chuckled and ran his tongue over Jack’s lips as his fingers moved to unfasten his belt. “That’s cheesy.” 

Their lips met again and it wasn’t long before thoughts of cheesy lines vanished from their minds.


	18. Chapter 18

The sun shining through the window woke Ianto up with a start. There was someone else in his bed; he could feel the other person’s cool weight pressing comfortably against his side.

His eyes flickered over to Jack’s empty bed. It took a moment for his disoriented brain to point out the reason it was empty was because the American was lying in Ianto’s own bed next to him.

Jack was still fast asleep with his back to Ianto. He was leaning back against the other teenager’s hip, but otherwise they weren’t touching.

“Harkness,” he called, reaching out and nudging Jack’s shoulder.

Jack groaned and buried himself further into Ianto’s pillow. “Leave me ‘lone,” he muttered, his eyes remaining firmly closed as he tried to fall back to sleep.

Ianto rolled his eyes and shook Jack a little harder, rolling him over so he was lying on his back. “Wake up, Jack,” he instructed firmly.

“It’s Saturday,” Jack stated, never opening his eyes. “Give me one good reason why I should wake up at the crack of dawn.”

“Because you’re driving me into town today,” Ianto stated matter-of-factly.

Jack’s eyes flew open at Ianto’s instruction. “When the hell did I agree to that?” he demanded, glaring up at the Welsh teenager.

Ianto laughed and shook his head. “Last night, when you reminded me that neither of us have anything to have proper sex with,” he pointed out, moving to get out of the bed.

He hesitated for a second, feeling a little bit nervous at Jack seeing him naked. Stifling a laugh, Ianto rolled his eyes; Jack had already seen everything he had to offer the night before.

With a groan, he heaved himself off the bed and began moving across the room the door that led into their bathroom. “I swear, Harkness,” he began, turning around and grinning when he saw Jack watching him with a grin on his face, “you’d better not have gone back to sleep.”

Jack smirked and tapped two fingers to his temple in a mock salute. “Yes, sir,” he retorted, fighting down a yawn as he tried to ignore the temptation to go back to sleep.


	19. Chapter 19

The town closest to the School was big enough that they had a Boots, Sainsburys, HMV and Waterstones; yet it wasn’t big enough to have high street chains such as Debenhams or Top Shop.

Jack pulled up to the front of the fairly large Boots store and turned to Ianto. “Do you want me to park and come with you?” he asked.

Ianto rolled his eyes and shook his head, reaching for the door handle. “Just drive around while I go in and get what we need.”

Jack nodded in agreement. “Get me some condoms,” he requested, somehow managing to not flush at the request. 

“Small, right?” Ianto responded with a smirk.

Jack snorted and glared at him a little before reaching for his wallet. “Cheeky bastard,” he muttered.

Before his fingers could reach his wallet, Ianto placed his hand over the American’s. “I’ll get them,” he stated.

“But…” Jack started.

Ianto grinned and leant over, kissing Jack softly before opening the car door. “You’re not the only one with rich parents,” he pointed out, winking at Jack before standing upright and slamming the car door closed.

~

It took Ianto a while to find what he was looking for in Boots; nothing seemed easy to find in the whole store.

The Welsh teenager grabbed the first lube he could reach. He figured he couldn’t really go wrong with whichever brand he bought. 

Condoms, on the other hand, were more hit and miss. He knew, roughly, what size to buy for himself; but he wasn’t entirely sure what size Jack would need. He grabbed a box of medium sized condoms for himself and threw them in the basket he was holding.

Just as he reached for a box for Jack, he sensed someone step up to the side of him. “You go to Torchwood, don’t you?” a Welsh voice asked him; Ianto found it strange that there seemed to be so many Welsh people in Scotland.

Ianto looked up and saw the teenager Gwen had been looking at across the lake. “Yeah,” he replied slowly; he wasn’t going to let on that he had seen the other boy across the lake. “What about it?” he challenged.

“That girl you were with…” he trailed off when he spotted the condoms in the basket. “Oh,” he murmured, clearly connecting dots that weren’t there.

Ianto followed his gaze and realised what he was thinking. Quickly he grabbed the second box he had been reaching for. “For my boyfriend,” he found himself explaining for some reason, throwing the box into the basket.

The other teenager visibly relaxed and let out a breath of air. “Right,” he murmured. “That girl that you were with…”

“Gwen Cooper,” Ianto supplied helpfully.

A smile flittered across his face, “Gwen,” he whispered. “Can you give her this?” he asked, pushing something into Ianto’s hand.

Ianto looked down at the piece of paper and saw a phone number scrawled across it. “Shouldn’t you tell me your name so she knows who she’s texting?” he retorted, feeling a surge of protectiveness for his friend.

“Rhys Williams,” the other Welsh teenager nodded, flashing Ianto a smile. “Thank you,” he murmured, turning on his heel and practically running from the store.

Ianto shook his head and rolled his eyes, stuffing the paper into his pocket before making his way across the store to pay for his things.

It was only when he got to the tills that he realised, with a little bit of horror, that he had referred to Jack as his ‘boyfriend’.


	20. Chapter 20

Jack was nowhere to be found when Ianto exited the store, sliding his credit card back into his wallet; his parents gave him a card with a credit limit of £2,000, which was automatically paid off every month – giving him as much money as he could want. It was his parents’ version of acting like they cared.

Ianto pulled out his phone and began scrolling through the phonebook, before he realised that he didn’t actually have Jack’s phone number.

With a sigh, he slid the phone into his pocket and looked around, hoping to see Jack’s car approaching.

A whole five minutes passed before he saw a familiar shiny blue car approaching. Jack leant on the horn as he pulled up to the kerb and Ianto rolled his eyes.

“I’m not blind,” Ianto stated, opening the passenger side door and sliding into the seat beside Jack. “I did see you,” he added, throwing the carrier back into the back.

Jack laughed distractedly, his attention mostly focused on not driving into a passing lorry as he tried to pull back in to the lane of traffic. “There’s a KFC in there,” he stated, nodding to the carrier bag at Ianto’s feet.

The other teenager reached down and picked the bag up. “Where the Hell did you find a KFC around here?” he demanded; the town was nowhere big enough to have a KFC.

Jack chuckled and stole a chip from the snack box as Ianto opened it; he had already had his own, but food always tasted so much nicer when it was someone else’s. “There’s a drive-thru a few miles away,” he replied, turning the car onto the road that would take them back to the school.

Ianto remained silent, wanting to enjoy his food before they got back to the school. They weren’t supposed to venture off the school grounds without permission, and driving to the town to get sex supplies was definitely something they would get in trouble for if they got caught.

Almost as if some sadistic god had heard his thoughts, Miss Morgan was standing on the steps of the school waiting for them.

“Uh oh,” Ianto murmured, seeing the angry look on her face. “That can’t be good.”

Jack shook his head, “Probably not. I’m going to get in such deep shit,” he added.

“It was my idea,” Ianto argued.

Jack laughed and slowed the car. “I’m driving, therefore it’s my fault,” he reasoned.

As they neared the school, Ianto leant over to the back of the car and stuffed the carrier bag under the seat so it was out of sight.

“Nice to see you, boys,” Alicia said evenly as Jack turned off the engine and they both climbed out of the car.

“Miss Morgan,” Jack began to speak, “I can…”

Alicia held her hand up, “Save it, Mr Harkness. Get inside, now,” she commanded.


	21. Chapter 21

Jack looked at Ianto and sighed, shrugging his shoulders before heading into the building with the other teenager.

“My office,” Alicia instructed, following not too far behind them.

Ianto chanced a look over his shoulder before snapping his attention back to the corridor in front of him.

Alicia opened the door to her office and held it open, ushering the two students inside before following them and closing the door behind her.

She moved so she was standing in front of the teenagers. “Keys, Mr Harkness,” he instructed, holding her hand out expectantly.

Jack heaved a sigh and reached into his pocket, pulling out the keys and placing them in the palm of her hand. “Miss Morgan…”

“You’ll get them back in a month,” she interrupted him, pulling the top drawer of her desk open and placing them inside.

No one spoke for a moment, until Alicia continued, “I know neither of you pay much attention to the rules of this school, but they are there for your own good and I refuse to treat you with the same kid gloves as the rest of the staff here. You could have gotten into an accident today and no one would have been any wiser because we didn’t know where you were.”

“I only noticed you,” she glanced over at Jack, “weren’t on the school grounds anymore because your car was missing. Although, I wasn’t expecting to find Mr Jones with you,” she admitted, glancing over at Ianto and adding, “Last I checked, you two weren’t exactly friends.”

For the first time in as long as he could remember, Ianto fought the urge to roll his eyes. 

Before either of them had a chance to comment on their sudden friendship, there was a light knock on the door and it opened, revealing Donna and Yvonne standing in the corridor.

“What is going on here?” Yvonne demanded, leading Donna into the room and closing the door once again.

“We went off the school grounds,” Ianto informed the headmistress for Alicia. 

Jack nodded, “Without permission,” he added.

Yvonne studied the students before turning to Alicia. “Have you punished them?” she asked, keeping her voice even.

“Confiscated Mr Harkness’ car keys,” she confirmed. “I was just going to give them both detention when…”

The redheaded teacher stepped forward quickly. “You’ve already confiscated his keys. I don’t think additional punishment is necessary,” Donna tried to reason, flashing an alarmed look at Yvonne.

Alicia shook her head. “Ianto was out of bounds as well. Confiscating the car keys only punishes Jack. They both deserve to receive the same punishment.”

“Alicia,” Yvonne spoke, “I’d like to have a word. Mr Harkness, Mr Jones, you’re both free to go. Neither of you will be punished this time, but see to it that nothing like this happens again.”

Alicia threw an exasperated look at Yvonne, but the other woman’s jaw was set and her mind made up.

Jack and Ianto both go to their feet, quickly making their way over to the door. Before they left the room, Jack paused and turned back to look at Alicia. “I’ll see you in detention tomorrow, Miss Morgan,” he murmured, ducking out of the room before Yvonne could argue.

Ianto’s eyes followed Jack in surprise and it was a moment before he added, “Me too,” before following Jack out of the office and softly closing the door behind him.


	22. Chapter 22

As soon as they out of the room and the door was closed, Ianto placed a hand on Jack’s arm. “You realise you’ve just given her your car keys, don’t you?” he asked softly, not noticing how his thumb was rubbing against the cold skin on the other teenager’s arm.

Jack look at him blankly. “So?” he shrugged his shoulders.

This time Ianto didn’t bother to stop himself rolling his eyes as he punched Jack lightly on the shoulder, muttering, “Idiot,” under his breath before stalking down the corridor.

“Wait!” Jack called, jogging to catch up with him. “Why am I an idiot?” he demanded.

“Oh, there are not enough hours in the day to answer that question,” Ianto replied with a laugh.

“Bastard,” Jack scowled, thrusting his hands into his pockets as he walked.

Ianto shook his head, still chuckling to himself. When they reached the end of the corridor, he stopped and grabbed hold of Jack’s arm and dragged him over to the nearest wall.

Pressing his body against the other teenager’s, Ianto used to element of surprise to pin Jack to the wall before kissing him deeply. Slowly, he slid his tongue between Jack’s lips, running it over the roof of the American’s mouth in a way that he had discovered made Jack gasp and moan.

He ran his hand down Jack’s chest and torso, cupping his cock through his trousers and massaging him with his palm.

Jack groaned and clutched at Ianto’s biceps painfully, breaking his lips away and throwing his head back against the wall and gasping for breath.

“Ianto,” Jack said, letting out a strangled moan. “We…” His breath hitched when Ianto squeezed his cock harder and jolts of pleasure shot through him. “We shouldn’t do this here,” he finally managed to pant, trying to not thrust his hips forward into Ianto’s hand.

The Welsh teenager smirked against Jack’s lips, squeezing his cock once more, before taking a step back, giving Jack some space to collect himself again. “We can always go back to our room and finish this properly?” he offered.

Jack’s blue eyes lit up happily. “Oh yeah,” he purred, pushing himself off the wall.

“Wait,” Ianto suddenly said, as though he’d just remembered something. “We can’t.”

“What?” Jack demanded, putting his hands on his hips and glaring at Ianto. “Why the hell not?”

“What do you need to have sex?” Ianto questioned, raising an eyebrow. 

Jack’s face fell when he realised what Ianto was saying. He had locked their supplies in the car; the same car whose keys were now in Miss Morgan’s possession.

“Fuck!”


	23. Chapter 23

Gwen was alone in her room, curled up in bed with her favourite book when the door opened and Ianto walked in.

“Do you mind?” she cried, pulling the sheets further around her. “I could have been undressing!”

Ianto rolled his eyes and sat down on her bed. He kicked his trainers off and moved so that he was underneath her covers. “You’re still fully dressed,” he pointed out.

Gwen glared at him and leant again him thankfully, closing her eyes for a moment as she focused on the heat of his body. The temperature outside had dropped considerably since the afternoon and his internal body temperature warmed her up nicely.

“Where did you vanish to today?” Gwen asked after a moment of companionable silence.

“Went into town,” Ianto replied with a shrug of the shoulder Gwen wasn’t leaning against.

Gwen lifted her head and stared at Ianto in confusion. “How did you get there? You can’t have walked; it’s miles away.”

Ianto laughed and rolled his eyes. “I didn’t walk,” he assured her. “Just don’t expect Harkness to be able to drive you around any time soon. We got caught.”

Gwen continued staring at him. “I… You… What?” she eventually demanded. “You went into town? With Jack?”

He grinned at her, before leaning back against the headboard and closing his eyes. 

Gwen frowned deeply and studied him for a moment, before leaning closer and sniffing him. Her green eyes widened and she pulled back, “You smell like Jack!” she exclaimed.

Ianto’s eyes flew open in surprise. “I…” He hesitated for a second longer than he should have, “It’s because I’ve spent all day with him,” he lied.

The other Welsh teenager snorted with laughter. “You do not end up smelling like someone from spending all day with them,” she retorted. “You…” Her eyes widened when she realised why he had Jack’s scent all over him. “Wow!” she whistled.

Ianto rolled his eyes. “It’s not a big deal,” he said softly, shrugging his shoulders.

“Not a big deal?” Gwen replied. “Of course it’s a big deal! You and Jack are finally going out!”

“We’re not going out,” Ianto argued with a shake of his head. “And what do you mean finally?” he demanded.

Gwen laughed. “Nothing,” she replied. “I’m glad for you,” she added, hugging him tightly. “But, Ianto, Jack…” She shook her head. “He’s not as cool – no pun intended – as he makes out to be. I don’t know if he’s told you…”

“He’s already told me about his brother,” Ianto interrupted her.

The other teenager stopped short and frowned, before grinning widely. “As long as you know why he doesn’t use his powers…”

“Speaking of potential boyfriends,” Ianto changed the subject, suddenly remembering why he had been paying a visit to Gwen in the first place. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the piece of paper he had been given earlier that day.

“A certain Rhys Williams told me to give this to you,” he added, handing her the paper with a grin.

“Rhys Williams?” she repeated with a confused look.

Ianto rolled his eyes and elbowed her lightly in the ribs. “The hot boy you were eyeing up the other day,” he reminded her.

“You…” Gwen stared at the paper in disbelief. “You spoke to him?”

“He cornered me in Boots while we were in town,” Ianto responded. “He seems okay. I told you he would think we were together.”

“You told him we’re not, right?” she demanded instantly.

Ianto winced and nodded his head. “I sorta told him that Jack was my boyfriend,” he reluctantly admitted.

Gwen let out a bark of laughter and hugged him tightly, before looking down at the phone number in her hands. “What am I supposed to say to him?” she asked softly.

Ianto shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t look at me. I do nothing but argue with the guy I’m seeing.”


	24. Chapter 24

When Ianto returned to his room, Jack was lying on his stomach across his bed, his laptop open in front of him as he studied something on the screen.

“About time!” Jack exclaimed, not looking up from the computer as the door opened. “It’s been doing my head in!”

Ianto scowled and closed the door behind him. “What has?” he asked, kicking Jack’s bag back onto his side of the room.

Still not looking up, Jack pointed in the general direction of Ianto’s desk and computer. “It’s been beeping constantly for the past hour and half,” he muttered.

The Welsh teenager rolled his eyes and slumped down into the desk chair. He ran a finger over the touch mouse, watching as the darkened screen sprang to life before entering his password and unlocking it.

He frowned in confusion when he saw an email marked as urgent in his inbox; an email from someone he hadn’t seen or spoken to for a very long time.

“What the-?”

Ianto’s outburst was finally enough to break Jack’s attention away from the computer, and he looked up curiously. “Ianto? What’s wrong?”

The other teenager remained silent, staring at the computer screen blankly before he began furiously typing a reply to the email.

“Ianto?” Jack pressed, pushing himself off of the bed and crossing the room to look over Ianto’s shoulder. “What’s wrong?” he repeated, idly running his thumb over the skin at the back of Ianto’s neck.

Ianto blinked and looked up with a surprised expression on his face, as though he had only just remembered that Jack was still in the room. “I…” He glanced back down at the computer and shook his head. “I…”

With a sigh, the teenager decided he didn’t know how best to put his thoughts into words and turned the computer so Jack could see the screen.

The American scanned the text in the email and frowned deeper. “So? It’s an email from someone called Rhiannon asking if you’re okay. What’s the big deal?”

Ianto closed the computer and turned to look at his roommate fully. “Rhiannon is my sister,” he informed Jack. 

He got to his feet and moved over to the bed, Jack following behind him. “You blame yourself for happened to Gray, but at least he knew how much you cared about him.”

“Ianto, what are you talking about?” Jack demanded, finally sick of Ianto’s cryptic words.

“Rhia ran away from home ten years ago; she was sixteen. The last time I saw my sister, I was seven years old. I haven’t seen her since.”

Jack remained silent, not knowing what he could say to Ianto, before leaning over and resting his hand on the Welsh teenager’s thigh in a way he hoped was more comforting than sexual.

“Why hasn’t she tried to get in touch with you before?”

Ianto shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I can’t even figure out how the hell she got my email address in the first place.”


	25. Chapter 25

A day later, Ianto hadn’t received a reply to his email and he had almost forgotten about it. 

“Mr Jones,” Alicia called as Ianto passed her in the corridor. 

The Welsh teenager turned and smiled at her; she was one of the few teachers in the school that he didn’t mind talking to. He didn’t know why, but he presumed it was because she wasn’t that much older than he was.

“There’s someone here to see you,” Alicia said softly, stepping to the side and indication to the person she was with.

The woman before him was a stranger to Ianto, but at the same time she was so easily recognisable as the sister he had last seen ten years before.

“Ianto,” Rhiannon gasped, jumping to her feet and rushing over to him. “Thank god you’re okay.”

Before he could take in her presence, or stop her, Rhiannon pulled him into her arms in a hug that was far stronger than he would have thought her capable of.

After a moment of allowing himself to be hugged by the sister he had been so close to as a child, he pulled away. “What do you think you’re doing here?” he asked coldly.

“I had to see for myself that you were okay after-,” she broke herself off with a shake of her head. “When you didn’t reply to my email straight away, I worried even more and had to come up here.”

“How did you even know my email address? And, there’s no way you could have known what school I go to.”

Rhiannon nodded her head. “I got your email from Elaine – mam and dad’s secretary…”

“I know who Elaine is,” Ianto interrupted with a roll of his eyes. “I talk to her more than I do mam and dad.”

Rhiannon sighed sadly. “I knew you’d be surprised to see me, but I was hoping for a warmer reunion,” she confessed.

“Warmer?” Ianto scoffed. “Pardon me for not welcoming you back with open arms. You were the one that ran away, Rhia; not me.”

“Ran away?” Rhiannon repeated in confusion. “Ianto, I… Who told you I ran away?” she demanded, folding her arms over her chest.

“Mam and dad,” Ianto informed her. “They had to tell a scared seven year old that his big sister – his best friend – had run away and left him. Did you even think about how you leaving like that would affect me?” he demanded, his voice breaking a little.

Rhiannon looked as though Ianto had just slapped her. “Ianto…” She reached out to him, but he shrugged away from her touch. “I didn’t run away,” she stated softly.


	26. Chapter 26

“Then why the fuck did you leave?” Ianto snapped.

He closed his eyes, feeling anger stirring his powers even more. Like Jack, it was hard to regain control once he let himself go fully. To his surprise, even thoughts of Jack were enough to get himself focused once more; obviously, the day before hadn’t been a one off moment.

“I went to school,” Rhiannon said gently when Ianto opened his eyes.

“To school?” Ianto repeated in disbelief.

“Here. To Torchwood.”

Suddenly, Ianto felt the world fall out from under him. Everything he had been told about his big sister – every thing he had been led to believe – had been turned upside down and nothing seemed to make sense anymore.

“You mean…”

Rhiannon nodded her head. “I’m a Pre-Cog,” she stated. “I have premonitions; or visions, whichever you want to call them.”

“Why would they lie to me about that?” Ianto asked softly, his usual confident exterior instantly gone at her words.

Rhiannon sighed heavily. “I didn’t tell them I knew what was going to happen until I was fifteen – even though I’ve been aware of them for as long as I can remember. They tried to ignore them; no doubt hoping they would go away if they weren’t acknowledged. By the time I was sixteen, they realised it was something I couldn’t control.”

“They’d heard of Torchwood and what the school was for. They didn’t waste time hesitating, and I was shipped up here.”

Ianto was silent for a long time before asking, “Why did you never write to me, or call?” He hated that his voice was small and childlike, but there was nothing he could do to stop it.

“I tried,” Rhiannon replied so earnestly that Ianto couldn’t help but believe her. “But you never wrote back and were always out when I called. Eventually mam told me to stop calling – that they were trying to stop you from being ‘infected’ by whatever had happened to me to make me this way.”

Ianto drew in a horrified gasp. “I thought about contacting you when I left school,” she continued, “but there would have been no point; my calls would have been diverted to mam and dad’s secretary and my letters would have been burnt.”

“It took me a long time to get over what they said to me. It’s taken Al almost eight years to make me see sense.”

“Al?” Ianto repeated in confusion.

A smile flittered across her face and distractedly began twisting the ring on her finger – the ring Ianto hadn’t even noticed. “You’re married?” Ianto exclaimed before she could speak.

Rhiannon chuckled and nodded her head. “Well, I suppose it makes sense; it has been ten years. It wouldn’t surprise me if you had kids as well.”

Ianto noticed the look on Rhiannon’s face and his jaw fell open, “Seriously?” he asked. “I’m an uncle?”

“Yeah,” she murmured, bringing her hand up and brushing Ianto’s hair away from his forehead. “To two wonderful children. Jamie and Annie. Jamie looks so much like you did when you were a kid,” she added.

Ianto smiled at the thought of his nephew looking like he had. “Are they…?” Ianto hesitated, not knowing how to ask the question that was in the front of his mind.

“Are they like us?” Rhiannon guessed correctly. “Neither of them have shown signs of having powers,” she replied, “but Jamie – he’s the oldest – is only five; there’s still time.”

Before Ianto could reply, a cough sounded from the side of them and Alicia stepped forward, surprising Ianto; he hadn’t even noticed there was any one in the same area.

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” Alicia said softly, taking a step closer to the siblings. “Mr Jones, I believe you have an essay to finish for English. Mrs Evans, I’d like to talk to you about what you saw.”

“But…” Ianto tried to argue.

Rhiannon placed her hand on Ianto’s arm, silencing his protests. “It’s okay, Ianto,” she assured him. “I’ll see you at dinner,” she added with a knowing smile.

Ianto rolled his eyes, realising that Rhiannon had clearly seen herself spending time with her younger brother. “I’ll see you later.” He hesitated, unsure about whether he should hug her.

Rhiannon solved Ianto’s problem by stepping closer and hugging him tightly. “I’ll meet you here at dinnertime and you can tell me all about Jack,” she whispered in his ear, making him blush deeply.


	27. Chapter 27

At four o’clock, an hour before dinnertime, Jack and Ianto made their way through the school to Alicia’s office.

“Sit down,” Alicia commanded the instant the door opened.

Ianto and Jack exchanged concerned looks, both of them wondering how severe their punishments were going to be, before complying and sliding into their desks at the back of the room.

Alicia picked something up from her desk and crossed the room, sitting on a desk a few rows in front of the teenagers.

“Catch,” she instructed, throwing what she had in her hands to Ianto.

Ianto’s eyes widened in surprise and he barely caught it. “What’s this?” he asked in confusion, looking down at the object.

“Half a yin-yang,” Alicia explained, throwing the other half to Jack before folding her legs underneath her. “Essentially it’s useless, nothing more than half a circle.”

“But, Ianto, if you put your half with Jack’s you have a full circle,” she explained. “The two halves become one, making a full circle. The good and the bad; the black and the white; the fire and ice,” she added, looking at them meaningfully.

Both teenagers eyes widened in surprise as they looked down at the circle that was now complete.

“You mean…” Jack began.

Alicia cut him off with a nod. “Do either of you know why the Torchwood Institute was created?”

“Queen Vic met someone with powers and decided that we needed a school just for freaks,” Ianto stated with a shrug of his shoulders.

Alicia’s eyes darkened as she glared at Ianto. “First, never ever let me hear you describe the students of this school – yourself or otherwise – as freaks.”

Ianto had the decency to look abashed as he slid further down in his seat, mumbling his apologies under his breath. 

“Queen Victoria,” Alicia began getting back on track, “met a man called the Doctor.”

“What kind of name is that?” Jack scowled. “The Doctor? Doctor Who?”

Alicia rolled her eyes. “No one knows his real name,” she informed him. “Everyone just called him the Doctor. Can I continue with my story now?” 

Jack and Ianto both smiled apologetically and nodded their heads.

“Thank you. The Doctor was a Time Lord,” she stated. “Once an inhabitant of the Island Gallifrey. Gallifrey was destroyed years before the Queen met him; only a small percentage of the population managed to escape, fleeing to the main land.”

“The Queen witnessed that the Doctor had powers unlike anything she’d ever witnessed before. Upon learning that every human possessed these inert abilities, but only a small percentage actually had the ability to tap into them. Queen Victoria created the Torchwood Institute in the Doctor’s name. A place where all those like him could learn to control and use their talents.”

“The Doctor was elderly when he met the Queen; some legends say he was as old as eight – maybe nine - hundred years old.”

Ianto scoffed and shook his head but didn’t comment. Alicia chuckled as well, “That, I think, is nothing more than a rumour,” she conceded.

“But the rest of the story is still true,” she continued. “The Doctor was far more powerful than any of the rest of us. The average human can only possess one power at a time; anything more would overwhelm that person’s body and ultimately kill them.”

“The Doctor had two powers, which he willed to the only two surviving Gallifrean children,” Alicia said softly, gazing at Jack then Ianto.


	28. Chapter 28

“What?” Jack laughed and rolled his eyes. “You’re going mad,” he informed her, looking at Ianto with a disbelieving look on his face.

Alicia shook her head. “I’m not,” she assured him. “When the Doctor died, two children were being born; that’s the only way his powers could have been passed on. He had to will his powers to a newborn seconds before his death, otherwise it wouldn’t have worked.”

“What were his powers?” Ianto spoke, asking the question that had been in the back of his mind for a while.

“He could control and manipulate fire and ice,” Alicia said quietly.

For a long moment the statement hung in the air between them, speaking more than all her previous words had.

“Fire,” Ianto eventually whispered, looking up at her with wide eyes.

“And ice?” Jack murmured, his voice just as quiet as Ianto’s.

Alicia nodded her head. “As far as I know there has been no other person with abilities like yours. The Doctor willed his powers to two children who were born on the same day he died. August 19th, 1983,” she said softly.

“August 19th?” Ianto echoed, looking at Jack in surprise.

“My birthday,” Jack murmured.

Alicia shook her head. “Both your birthdays,” she corrected him. “You were both born on the same day as the Doctor died. And you have his powers. That’s not a coincidence.”

“You said he passed his powers to children of Gallifrey,” Ianto reminded her. “We’re not from Gallifrey.”

“You aren’t,” Alicia agreed, “and neither are your parents. But I did some research and a couple of hundred years ago, your ancestors arrived in America,” she looked at Jack before turning to Ianto, “and Wales, from an unknown island called Gallifrey.”

Ianto turned his head to look at Jack in surprise. “That’s how you could control your powers,” he murmured.

Immediately Alicia held her hand up, “Wait,” she instructed. “You used your powers?” she demanded of Jack. “In front of Ianto.”

Jack glared a little at her. She knew why he didn’t show his powers in front of others; every teacher in the school did. “I didn’t mean to,” he snapped.

Alicia blinked, trying to get her head around when Jack was telling her. “Sorry, Jack,” she murmured. “It’s just, you’ve never been taught how to control your powers. I would have thought we’d be encased in an ice fortress by now.”

The American snorted with laughter. “We almost were,” he confessed. “I…” he hesitated. “I couldn’t control it until…”

Ianto could tell that Jack was struggling with how much to tell Alicia; the American didn’t know whether he should tell her about the kiss or not. “Until he focused on me,” he added for Jack.

Alicia looked at Jack for clarification and he nodded his head. “That…” She whistled, impressed. “That’s unbelievable,” she stated. “I knew your powers would work better when you got along, but I didn’t realise you could help each other control them.”

She looked between the pair of them curiously. “How did you realise you could help each other like that?”

Jack looked over at Ianto and smirked, the image of the other teenager writhing around under him as Jack pumped his cock running through his mind.

“Whoa!” Alicia cried, shifting Jack’s attention back to her. “I did not need to know that, Mr Harkness!”

Jack blushed and slid down in his seat, shrugging his shoulders when he noticed Ianto glaring at him. “Sorry,” he apologised under his breath.

Ianto rolled his eyes at the other teenager and shook his head. “How do you know so much about Time Lords?” he demanded.


	29. Chapter 29

Alicia chuckled to herself and rolled her sleeve up. “I wondered how long it would take to come to that,” she murmured, unfastening her watch and placing it on the desk next to her.

“The Time Lords assigned guardians for their children,” Alicia explained. “Their job was to protect the children of Gallifrey and teach them to use their powers. Guardians have powers of their own, although not as powerful as Gallifreans.”

Alicia turned her hand over, displaying a blue flame on the inside of her wrist. “This appeared on August 19th 1983,” she informed them, running her index finger down the mark. “I was three when my parents noticed it. No one put it there and it’s been getting darker and darker my entire life.”

“The guardians of Gallifrean children are assigned before they’re even born,” Alicia continued.

Ianto held up his hand, frowning a little. “Are you saying you’re guardian to one of us?” he asked, softly.

Alicia shook her head. “Not one of you,” she argued. “Both. Haven’t you noticed that the flame is blue?” she questioned, leaning forward and offering her wrist to the teenagers. “When was the last time you saw a frozen flame?”

Jack’s eyes widened and ran his own index finger down the mark as though he was looking for some kind of evidence it was real and not fake. “What does this mean?” he asked quietly.

She pulled her wrist from Jack’s grip and leant back on her hands. “It means that we have some serious work to do,” she replied. “Ianto, I was speaking to your sister earlier and her precognitive powers have shown that you’re in danger.”

“That’s what she said!” Ianto exclaimed. “She said she was worried, because she’d seen me getting hurt.”

Alicia shook her head. “That’s not going to happen,” she assured him.

“How can you be sure?” Jack demanded before Ianto could speak. “Most pre-cogs are never wrong.”

“People react differently if they know their… destiny, for want of another word,” Alicia replied. “Ianto knows Rhiannon has seen him injured, so he can prepare himself and take every precaution to change the outcome of that vision. But we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

The End


End file.
